The prospect is clear for Duke's volleyball team: win out or go home.
The Blue Devils begin ACC tournament play against Maryland today in Orlando, hoping to put together a run that will carry them all the way into the NCAA Tournament. After posting a disappointing 10-18 record in the regular season, with a 6-10 ledger in the ACC, Duke's only chance for an NCAA berth is to earn the ACC's automatic bid by capturing the conference tournament title.
The chance for an automatic berth gives seventh-seeded Duke a prayer of salvaging its season, and senior captain Katie Gilman doesn't intend to let such a golden opportunity go by.
"I think it's awesome," Gilman said. "We couldn't ask for a better [opportunity]. I think we have a pretty good chance."
Regardless, the Blue Devils face a steep challenge in their first match of the tournament. The second-seeded Terrapins are 23-7, 12-4 in the ACC, and happen to be coming off an impressive win over Florida State in which they fell behind by two games before pulling off the comeback victory.
In particular, the Blue Devils will have their hands full with outside hitter Sarah Treadwell. In the last match between these two teams, Treadwell posted 18 kills in a four-game Maryland victory in Durham.
"The last time we played them, [Treadwell] abused us," senior defensive specialist Meghan Brown said.
Treadwell and the Terrapins certainly seem to have the Blue Devils' number this year, having posted a three-game victory at home to go along with the win in Durham. However, Gilman remains confident that her team will bounce back.
"[The losses are] motivating for us because we came out in those games and didn't play as aggressive," Gilman said. "I think if we play aggressive and leave it all out on the court, we'll be fine."
Duke doesn't exactly march into the tournament on a high note, however. The Blue Devils are coming off a defeat at the hands of rival North Carolina Saturday night in which they struggled mightily, losing the match in three games.
It was not the performance Duke head coach Jolene Nagel wanted out of her team on Senior Night. She is willing to make changes in preparation for Maryland.
"I didn't think we played with enough passion on Saturday night," Nagel said. "So in practices we've been trying to look at a lot of different things to see what combinations work best together."
Along with Gilman, Nagel feels good about Duke's chances, despite the regular season losses to the Terrapins.
"They are a good team and they have had a great year," said Nagel. "[But] we are excited for this opportunity. We feel like we are a much better team than when we played them earlier in the year."
The top seed in the tournament is Georgia Tech, which has the luxury of facing the winner of a play-in game between Florida State and North Carolina State Friday. Other matches Friday include the fourth-seeded Tar Heels against fifth-seeded Virginia, and third-seeded Wake Forest versus sixth-seeded Clemson.
According to Nagel, all of these teams are serious threats, including her Blue Devils.
"I do think that anybody can win this tournament," she said. "It wouldn't matter to us if we were playing a different seed. I think we have a nice path through the tournament, and I think it's very possible for us to get hot and do very well."
The only way the Blue Devils can make the NCAA tournament is by pulling three straight victories in the ACC tournament. Gilman expects the team's loose mindset to be a big advantage as it seeks to pull off the unlikely feat.
"We have nothing to lose," she said.
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